


The Long Way Home

by meredyd



Category: PlanetES
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-02
Updated: 2012-08-02
Packaged: 2017-11-11 05:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/475186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meredyd/pseuds/meredyd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waiting for things to start again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Long Way Home

It’s strange to have all of them together at the dinner table again. Six people for the first time in years, and the house never seemed so small. There’s raucousness broken by the tense silence of those who have been apart too long. Ai stares at her plate. There’s so much to say, so much that can’t be properly carried over e-mails and video calls. The little things, embodied in their daughter’s gentle curiosity towards this man she knows only intellectually as her father.

Kyutaro is the worst at hiding his discomfort. In a long stretch of quiet eating, and hesitant smiles from Ai and Haruko in Hachi’s direction, Kyu clatters, glowering down with the youthful fury that’s been at least somewhat dormant for a while now. 

“This is ridiculous. I’m going to the garage.”

“Kyu!” Ai calls, raising one hand to let it drop. “I’ll go get him.” 

She looks at Sora looking at Hachi looking at Sora. His face is unreadable, both their faces, really. 

“What was that all about?” Ai asks, arms crossed, but knows the answer and braces herself for impact. 

Surprisingly, Kyu says nothing. The frame of the open door looks out onto the dark sky, sea breezes keeping everything unseasonably warm.

“I know it’s weird,” Ai says, helplessly. “But it won’t always be like that.” She feels the doubt thick in her own voice and is silently ashamed, laughs a low little laugh. “At least you didn’t start a fight, though.”

“I wanted to,” Kyu grumbles. “Would have wiped the smug looks off their faces.”

“They’re not being smug! They’re just not sure what to do, like us. It’ll be...”

“If you say it’ll be okay, I’ll start something right now.” 

But Kyutaro is smiling. The stillness out here is comfortable, not stifling at all. 

“Do you ever regret it?” he asks, finally.

“No,” Ai says. “Not for a second!” 

“I know it was hard for you,” Kyutaro says, looking at his feet. “I know I didn’t always help.”

“Sure you did,” Ai says, with so much confidence she sees his shoulders perceptibly raised. “Come on. We can’t leave them in there alone.” She holds out her hand to no response. Kyutaro is still crouched against the hard plaster of the wall, staring.

“He’s still your brother and he’s still your dad,” says Ai. “That’s never going to change.”

“And he’s still your husband. Who are you trying to convince?” 

“Kyu...”

“I’m the only one being honest here, okay?” He says, but his tone is tired and almost sad. Ai has heard him like this rarely, usually only in the long, quiet hours in the Sea of Tranquility Hospital waiting room. 

She turns without him but hears footsteps behind her. 

“Food’s getting cold,” he shrugs. “And someone has to look after Sora while the two of you “reconnect”."

He’s through the doorway and into the house. She grins a little, relieved, and pauses for a moment - the stars are barely visible through fog, but suddenly she’s somewhere else, somewhere older and more familiar. Suddenly, maybe just for then, it really does feel okay.

She follows the sounds of her family back inside.


End file.
